As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Information handling systems are often configured as portable devices. One popular type of portable information handling system is a notebook computer. Wireless wide area network (WWAN) capability has been implemented for notebook computers using wireless cellular technology and integral and/or external components. The wireless cellular business is based on a service model that is operated over a licensed spectrum, and is typically provided by wireless carriers and operators. End user devices are typically activated and provisioned onto a cellular carrier network, and retention of the users on a given carrier network is desirable for the carrier network.
Notebook computers may be provided to customers by Enterprise providers with wholly integrated wireless wide area network (“WWAN”) SIM module systems that are provided as components integrated as part of the notebook computers, or with external attachable WWAN SIM module systems in the form of insertable mobile broadband data cards (PCMCIA-based cards). These integrated or external SIM module systems are cellular radio frequency (RF) transceiver modules that accept or interface with SIM smart cards, including 3G-compliant Universal Subscriber Identity Module (“USIM”) smart cards, that contain network activation data and user account data and that are linked to a specific cellular network carrier. However, a customer may replace the USIM smart card shipped with the computer with a different USIM smart card that they already own (e.g., third party, different carrier, different plan), or with a different USIM smart card that the customer has purchased at a retail store. The substitution of a different USIM smart card by the customer is transparent to the Enterprise provider, so that the Enterprise provider has no knowledge or visibility of an account activation using another USIM smart card.
SIM locking methods have been implemented in the past for anti-theft purposes. In one example, a mobile device handset is locked to a particular cellular carrier's network. This method is employed to prevent stolen mobile devices from being used on other cellular carrier networks. In another example, a mobile device handset is locked to a particular SIM smart card, so that the mobile device will not work with any other SIM smart card. This method is employed to prevent a thief from using the stolen mobile device with another SIM smart card.